Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-02-26
FROM WASHINGTON.

The District of Columbia appropriation
hill ia now in the hands OF a conference
committee. 1t is not probable the House
conferees will agree 10 the Senate amend
ment providing for. an appropriation OF $780,
600 for an ice and police boat on the Poto'
mac; but they may agree to an approprla'
ton of $4,000 to enable the District Com
missioners to keep the Potomac open be-
tween this city and Alexandria during the
winter by contract. If they shall not agree
to the Senate amendment Mr.. Barbour WILL
see each member of the committee and urge
them to adopt the proposition referred to.
1t is understood that should it be adopted
the Alexandria ferry company will put ice
plows On their boats and contract to keep
the river OPEN, during the prevalence OF the
cold weather, for FIVE thousand dollars a
wear. Should the Senate amendment be
adopted, it is reported that the river men
will petition the District Commissioners to
name the boat William Malone, after the
General, the author of that amendment.
Representative Trigg says the Speaker
has promised to recognize him to move the
passage Of bills to reimburse Virginia Tor
the money she has advanced the govern
ment, and that as soon as Gen. Mahone
shall get those bills through the Senate, ne
will call them up in the House, and that it
will be utterly useless for him to do so until
they shall have been passed by the Senate.
The Senate claims committee has report
ed in favor Of referring the claim OF II. N.
Blake, CT Stafford county, Va, to the quar-
termaster general for investigation.
Mr.. Z. 3. Male, Of Culpeper, Va, who
was purser in the navy during the Mexican
war, is here to day 70 get his pension under
the Mexican pension bill.
In the debate on the resolution for an in-
vestigation of the accounts Of the Pacific
railroads, in the Senate yesterday evening,
Mr. Riddeberger shocked the dignity of
the Senate and showed his di5respect for
Mr.. Edmunds by interrupting that senate
rial sage to ask if anybody had chestnut
bell. Subsequently he provoked q laugh
by saving that he never owned share OF
railroad stock in his life, and could scarcely
say that he owned dollar of anything else.
In the House yesterday Mr.. Barbour pre-.
sented petition of citizens of Alexandria
county, Virginia, for the erection of bridge
across the Potomac at Arlington.
A prominent democratic politician from
West Virginia here to day says it is pretty
well understood there that Governor Will
son of that State, now that the legislature
has failed to elect Senator, will appoint
ex Representative Daniel Lucas, who led
the twelve democratic opponents OF Senator
Camden in the legislature, U. S. Senator to
serve until the next Legislature shall elect
one.
Among the strangers in the city to day is
Mr.. P. c. Warwick of Richmond, q member
of the Virginia legislature. Mr.. Warwick
doesn't known what the extra session of the
legislature that has been called will do, and
IL. - /, h<,o, led ht,-
| it in the newspapers here this morning In
talking about the debt question of his State
he said that by the provisions of the Rid
dleberger bill the creditors were entitled to
about four million dollars moIe than was
shown by the totals of the tabulated state
maut Of that BILL and that this Increase re-
suited from failure to account for the in
tele.t on Il certain portion of the debt.
| Mr. Page, the first democratic representa-.
tive from Rhode Island for thirty four
wears, was sworn in to-day. He will serve
| five DAYS, and for that time will draw out OF
the U. s. Treasury about ten thousand five
| hundred dollars. being the amount of the
salary, mileage aud stationery money for a
representative from his State for an entire
congressional term, and this. too, though
his republican predecessor, whose seat was
declared vacant few weeks ago, had re-.
ceived almost a. much by drawing his pay
up to that time. Contested seats should be
decided early in the frat session of the
term but instead OF that they are usually
put off to the very last, 90 that the illegal
as wei! AZ the legal member draws full pay,
and the latter for little or no service.
Mr.. Aliaou and some of the best lawyers
in the Senate say the commissioners to be
appointed under the interstate railroad bill
must be nominated during the present ses-
sion of Congress- or that on extra session OF
the Senate must be called TO confirm them.
Mr.. Allison, Of the Senate, Mr.. Kelley, OF
the House, and other experienced congress
men are talking this morning about the
possibility OF the necessity Of an extra ses-
sion Of both houses as the condition of the
appropriation bills is such as induces them
to doubt the ability of Congress to pass those
bills by Friday next. But similar doubt is
expressed toward the close Of almost every
short session.
In the House yesterday evening Mr.. Bra.
dy moved to amend tho naval bill by pro.
viding that Brooklyn and Norfolk be the
places where the two dry docks shall be To-
Gated but his motion was defeated and the
location left to the Secretary of the Navy.
In the Senate to day the Senate confer
cts Cu tllV pOStOiuOC oili ASH OA WV NAV IhSy
Insisted on the subsidy provision of that
bill, and asked to be discharged and that
another conference committee be appointed.
Mr. Hoar introduced resolution in the Senate
to-day inquiring whether colored infants were
excluded from the founding asylum of this city,
and if the government appropriates any money
to the support Of that asylum, his object bang to
oblteratq all race distinction in that institution,
aud thereby abolish it as an asylum for white
infants
The bill for a cable railroad in this city was re.
ported favorably in the Senate to day. with the
route somewhat changed, and with proyiso for
the payment TO the city of four per cent. of tho
gross earnings
The House commerce committee this morning
struck out all after the enacting clause of the
Senate bill to change the Norfolk customs district
and inserted the original House bill. The lat
ter bill is supported by the Yorktown district, the
former by the Norfolk district.
The House judiciary committee to-day agreed
to report fsvorably the Senate bill changing in
auguraton day from the 4th of March to the